The first skyscraper

Ironically the first skyscraper to be built in Montreal was the New York Life Insurance Building (also known as the Quebec Bank Building). It still stands, in all its red sandstone beauty, facing Place d’Armes in Old Montreal and that’s where I sketched today with Marc Taro Holmes. We thought it might be a good idea to paint together in preparation for our upcoming Portland workshop. I did a little sketch in my Moleskine while he started a larger, more ambitious painting which hopefully he will post on his site. Place d’Armes is a really busy place with busloads of tourists visiting the Notre Dame cathedral across the square but it was good practice to be outside in a crowded area. At one point a huge gust of wind knocked over everything on Marc’s easel including his nearly completed painting but he managed to rescue all his gear and even fill up his empty water container with water from the fountain in the middle of the square.

Best to take the bus. : ) Hey Shari, I love what you’ve done here, creating a sketch blog! I’m part of Urban Sketchers, as well, out here on the WI/Pointe Claire. My blog is mixed, though, as I post mostly my illustration jobs these days. My urban sketches are not as…”skilled” as your’s or Marc’s, but the idea (a la Danny Gregory…and Nike : ) is to “Just do it”. So I have “urban sketched” the area for about four years now. If you ever want to meet up to sketch, feel free to contact me. I’d love to try sketching with other people.